NOAA released data on Monday that the last winter was warmer and wetter than average. [USA Today]

The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during the winter season was 34.3 degrees, which is 1.9 degrees above the 20th-century average, marking the 20th-warmest winter on record, NOAA reported.

As for precipitation, while the Southeast and upper Midwest were wetter than average, much of the West was quite dry, especially in January and February, contributing to below-average snowpack in the Sierra and Rockies.

“Drought conditions continued to plague much of the Great Plains and West,” according to the NOAA report.

Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget will say that building the Keystone XL pipeline will create thousands of jobs (which it won’t) and that “the administration is buying up land to prevent further development” (though it’s not). [Wall Street Journal]

President Obama heads to Capitol Hill this week, and is likely to talk about using royalty revenues from oil and gas production to set up an “Energy Security” trust fund. [The Hill]

Rep. Henry Waxman writes about how the House Energy and Commerce Committee has been MIA on climate change. [The Hill]

Global clean energy markets are on track to double within the decade. [Clean Technica]